Embraer doubles down on offering the KC-390 to the U.S. Air Force
Despite the end of the partnership with the U.S. company L3 Harris, Embraer is determined to secure a contract to sell the KC-390 Millennium multirole aircraft to the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
This week, the Brazilian manufacturer participated in the AFA Warfare Symposium, held by the Air & Space Forces Association, which took place from March 3 to 5 at the Gaylord Rockies Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado.
The event brings together USAF officials and several suppliers in an opportunity to present defense products and solutions.
In addition to the A-29 Super Tucano, Embraer showed the KC-390 in the rigid boom aerial refueling version, capable of transferring fuel to U.S. Air Force aircraft.
Images of the aircraft displaying the United States flag on its tail were released in both the rigid boom version and the version carrying pods with hoses on the wings.
Production in the United States
During the 2024 earnings conference held last week, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto reinforced the company’s plan to secure an order for the C-390 in the United States.
In 2022, Embraer had established a joint venture with L3 Harris, a major local defense supplier, but that agreement was dissolved.
The loss did not shake Gomes Neto, who even mentioned that the C-390 could be produced in the United States if a signed contract is signed.
“North America is our ‘masterpiece’, it has the largest defense budget in the world and we are certain that the KC[-390] can help the USAF substantially increase productivity with this type of aircraft,” said the CEO.
The U.S. Air Force, however, has been focusing its efforts on developing stealthy tankers due to changes in warfare in recent years.
For Embraer, however, the KC-390 could be a tactical aerial refueling aircraft, with good payload capacity, speed and versatility, operating from smaller airports, where the KC-135 and KC-46 are not capable.
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Ricardo Meier
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